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BY 


AUGUSTUS H. F. HAIN. 


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WASHINGTON, D. C. 

R. BEKESFORD, PRINTER, 138 TWENTY-FOURTH STREET. 

1869. 




































A BRIEF ESSAY 


ON THK 



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BY* 


AUGUSTUS H. F. 


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WASHINGTON, D. C. 

n. BKRESFOJIB, PKINTER, 138 TWEKTY-FOUJtTIi STREET. 

186 J). 

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THE CITIL SERVICE OF THE HNITEH STATES. 






After tlie conclusion of a gigantic civil war, througli which the nation 
has passed with glory—though not without the greatest sacrifices of human 
blood and an enormous amount of treasure—it is the duty of every intelli¬ 
gent American citizen to see that proper guarantees are given for a loyal 
and efficient administration in all the branches of the National Government, 
and the best mode adopted for carrying the same into practical effect. 

In order to discern those measures, which should be adopted to achieve 
this great object, it is necessary to examine the actual state of our adminis- 
tratiou, and its civil service, to scrutinize the same in the most impartial 
manner, and, when we have found the diagnosis of the existing evil, to 
suggest the most feasible means, and apply the most appropriate reme- 
: dies for its cure. It is a true Kepublican principle, to place the most able 
and best adapted man in every Governmental position of any eminence,^ 
and to adhere to an invariably uniform and justly adapted system for having 
the whole force of the officials of the National Government loyal, efficient 
and trustworthy. 

There must be a thorough investigation of the business capacity, habits, 
and the unconditional loyalty of every office holder, and tlic conclusion ar- 


4 


rived at, will approve or disapprove of the existing system of appointment to 
office, the scale and mode of promotion or dismissal, and the entire common 
system existing at present in all the branches of the Departments of the 
Grovernment. 

The secretaries and heads of the Departments and their different bureaux, 
are nominated or appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the 
Senate. Whether they are always the most capable persons, and best 
adapted for the responsible positions they are to fill, is very questionable, as 
political influence is, in most cases, the only criterion of the individuals in 
question. These heads of the Departments and bureaux depend necessarily 
again, in a great degree, on their chief clerks and other subordinates, who 
have passed either through the inferior grades or are especially appointed 
for the convenience of their chiefs. These chief clerks and other superior 
clerks who are heads of divisions and subdivisions, select again their favor¬ 
ites for their next subordinates, until the ladder is closed by the intelligent 
first class clerk, who has uniformly done and continually docs his duty as 
an independent character; he, therefore, has, generally, the hardest, most 
tedious, and often the most responsible labors to perform; his superiors hav¬ 
ing found out his value, and keeping him as long as possible a first class 
clerk, exact the greatest amount of work possible from him during successive 
years, and would do the same '■'■ad infinitum'^ without promoting him, if 
there was not generally a change of administration every fourth year, which 
brought things to a certain alteration. 

It also must be taken into consideration, that the City of Washington, as 
the seat of the Government, and a former part of the slave holding aristoc¬ 
racy, has had the lead and “ring” for more than fifty years, which prepon¬ 
derance of influence has been duly increased by some friends of influential 
politicians of every State, but especially of Maryland, New York and some 
of the New England States. All of these official gentlemen forming the lead¬ 
ers, and, being in the “ring,” had sufficient sagacity to keep themselves un¬ 
scathed in the war against the rebels, and they show by the way they make 
use of the honorably discharged soldiers, most of them wounded in the 
country^ defence, when they employ them, first in menial work, as messen- 


5 


gers, waiters, and in filing papers and copying letters, although they know 
that former field officers and others, who held honorable positions in the 
army—‘have often been in the General Staff of the army—can perform more 
intelligent work: but they utter, even openly, their humiliating sentiments^ 
that these officers must first be broken in. When for some time in office^ 
these intelligent soldiers become examiners, and fill the most responsible po¬ 
sitions for years, but without ever being promoted—-if not by some outside 
influence,-^aiid young men, minions of some powerful politicians, especially 
those of Maryland, receive third class clerkships at once, and are generally 
promoted to a fourth class clerkship within the flrst year. 

This is the existing system, loyalty being out of the question altogether, 
as rebel sympathizers hold many of the best positions in nearly every bureau 
of the Government. Hereupon may be calculated, that the interest of the 
country and the service is not the first consideration of these office holders; 
and a demoralizing influence is prevailing, on account of merit, business 
habits, punctuality and ability not being placed in its proper light, and not 
being acknowledged by promotion; the most clerks therefore, become gener¬ 
ally sycophants, do as little work as possible, cringe to their superiors, and 
are the instigators for subscriptions to valuable presents yearly to be made 
to their superiors. The wounded soldiers were, in the commencement, also 
pressed into these contributions, and when they afterwards refused to parti¬ 
cipate in these repeated valuable and costly gifts, they were so much more 
marked as men of no account for promotion. 

Now let us compare the system adopted by the enlightened countries of 
Europe, as England, France and Prussia, as to their civil service. In these 
three countries, the soldier who has fought the country’s battles is preferred 
to any civilian for a position in the Departments, provided he possesses the 
requisite capacity, and he is then promoted rapidly, from grade to grade, 
until he becomes a Commissioner, Auditor,—even Secretary of a Depart¬ 
ment. All the civilians, who desire to enter the Government service, must 
have passed, especially in Prussia, through the national colleges, and present 
the Certificate of Maturity for the University; then only they can apply for 
admission into the service of the Government, as clerks, to which they are 




6 


ndmitted by rotation, when tbey have to pass at least two years as assistants 
to the real Government clerks, and have then to undergo again, a stringent 
find severe examination on the practical experience, and the knowledge and 
execution of the laws and regulations of the branch of the administration to 
which they belong. Having passed satisfactorily this examination, their 
capacity is thoroughly known, and they are assigned to positions accordingly, 
and promoted by seniority and excellence in the performance of their duties. 
They are appointed for life, and can only be discharged for malfeasance in 
office, and by legal process. When no more able to fill their positions, they 
are pensioned for the remainder of their lives. But the soldier is every¬ 
where preferred and honored foremost, while, in the civil offices of the U. S. 
Government, at present, he is treated worse than any other loyal man— 
even worse than notorious rebels and rebel sympathizers. 

^Nbw, when we examine the value of the clerks who have not been in the 
war, we find them, either old fossils, or machines who do little or nothing 
except the drawing of their salaries, or young gentlemen, who often made use 
of recommendations which they exacted, under pretence of entering the army 
for commissions, but in reality, for the obtainment of a Government clerkship, 
when they generally received, in 18G1—G2, a second or third class at once,- 
when salaries were paid in gold. iMost of them have been rapidly promoted 
and saved money, while the soldier who fought for his country, from the 
commencement of the war, till he was disabled by wounds received in battle, 
or the hardships of a long and arduous campaign, or prison life in rebel dens, 
lost, generally, all he possessed, except his love for his country, his honor as 
a patriot, his habits of discipline, and the strict performance of his duties, 
wherever they are required. ]hit it is very difficult to see the citizen sol¬ 
dier placed in his proper place, for those in the “ring” try to prevent it. as 
long as they are able to do so. 

The heads of the Departments, and the chiefs of bureaux, with the advice 
of their favorite clerks, promote according to their pleasure, and have a 
power, which is, by far, too great and irresponsible to be exercised with*jus- 
tice and equity. State rights, or “ State thefts,” are also the curse of tlie 
GoveAmmontal bureaux. Enquire the State, where the chief of the bureau 


7 


hails from, and examine, when you will find, that in many cases his office 
resembles the agency for the State he is appointed from. 
j. To remedy all these evils it is essential to study the statistics of the dif¬ 
ferent bureaux; the names of the clerks, the dates of their appointments, the 
States where they are from, by whom they have been recommended for office, 
whether civilian or soldier and the class, and figures and stubborn facts will 
apeak most truthfully and intelligently. When you see the most intelligent 
soldiers and officers as examiners, first class clerks, for three years and longer, 
and you find twenty-two fourth class clerks, all civilians, in one bureau—the 
Pension Bureau, an office where only soldiers ought to be employed,—and 
boys of twenty years, and without any education, occupying third and fourth 
class clerkships, while meritorious, patriotic and wounded officers, as the most 
able examiners, are nearly starving with their families on their $1200 a year 
in “ greenbacks.” 

Let a board of inspectors be appointed by Congress, (as it is done in en¬ 
lightened European countries,) who investigate each bureau thoroughly, and 
have to know the capacity and character of the chiefs and their subordinates 
by constant intercourse, and cause promotions and changes independent of 
heads of bureaux. Then investigate the state of many Government offices, 
where only soldiers should be employed, according to the nature of the duties 
to be performed there, and you will find all the best and lucrative places 
filled by civilian^ only; as, for instance, the Pension Bureau, the Second and 
Third Auditors’ Offices, the Surgeon’s and Paymaster’s, and, partly, the 
Quartermaster General’s Offices, etc., etc. 

The rotation principle has been hitherto adhered to, as a general thing. 
Have, then, the gentlemen who fill all the more lucrative positions, as chiefs 
of bureaux, chief clerks, fourth and third class clerks, not been long enough 
in their easy chairs, in which they have been kept only by the citizen soldiers 
of the Republic ? Six or seven years ought to induce them to make place for 
the citizen soldier who, wounded as he was in the country’s battles, is still a 
first class clerk, although he is fully able to fill, in most cases, all these high 
and lucrative positions. 

Therefore, let Congress act at once in this matter, demanding from the 





8 


lieads of the Departments exact statistics of every bureau, the name of the 
chief, of every clerk, messenger and laborer, his birth place, if a foreigner, 
whether naturalized or not, his salary, date of promotion, whether a civilian 
or a soldier or sailor during the war, and how long, whether wounded or dis¬ 
abled, and the name of the person by whose recommendation he was appoint¬ 
ed ; and let a board of inspectors be appointed, to carry out the spirit of 
equity and justice: and let these inspectors partly be changed every year, in 
order to arrive at the most fair and just state of the Governmental officials; 
and for the future, let young men be educated for Government service, who 
will have to pass a proper examination, and where everyone with equal 
capacity has an equal chance by rotation, as he has applied for an appoint¬ 
ment. In fact, let a civil service bill be passed without delay, which may 
always be easily amended so as to conform to its practical working and the 
exigencies which may arise. 


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